Documents of Latin American and Latino Art

This document is a handwritten excerpt from the journal of Carlos Almaraz in which he discusses what he sees as the problem of “art for art’s sake” and the ways in which this kind of artistic outlook prevents certain sectors of society from [...]

This document is a short handwritten entry from the journal of Carlos Almaraz. He begins with a discussion of how his art should be a product of daily practice. He then comments that his aim is to achieve a sense of poetry in his work but at a visual [...]

This document is a handwritten letter from the journal of Carlos Almaraz to William Wilson, a staff writer at the Los Angeles Times. He was responding to an exhibition review by Wilson, titled “30 Works from the Grass Roots.” In it, the author [...]

This document is a handwritten entry from the journal of Carlos Almaraz that begins with a discussion of his uneasiness about the idea of Conceptual art and disconnection from the everyday life of most people. He also recounts doubts regarding his [...]

This handwritten journal excerpt from Carlos Almaraz has a compilation of notes on his thoughts about the potential Marxism of Andy Warhol’s artistic practice. He suggests that Warhol’s work displays Marxist tendencies in its seriality, which [...]

This document is a brief unpublished autobiographical statement by artist Carlos Almaraz. In it he discusses the early years of his life, from his birth in Mexico City and subsequent moves to Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles, where he attended high [...]

This document is a statement by Carlos Almaraz in which it is outlined his approach to his own artistic practice as well as his ambitions for the creation of a broader program of social engagement on the part of Chicano artists. The document [...]

This document by artist Carlos Almaraz looks at the relationship between art (namely muralism) and social inequality, with specific attention paid to the potential role of the political image in empowering marginalized groups and challenging accepted [...]